November 30, 2015

Training at Porsche for underprivileged young people in Asia

Since 2008 the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia (PTRCA) in Manila has been offering Filipinos from underprivileged backgrounds career opportunities in the car industry.

The brands Audi and Volkswagen now become new cooperation partners in this initiative. In future the companies are planning together recruiting junior technical staff from PTRCA, with job opportunities mainly in the Middle East region.

The development of the PTRCA to PTRCA 2.0 with the new cooperation partners means that much more young Filipinos will be accepted in the training programme. Instead of the current 32 trainees per year, in 2016 there will be 120 and in 2017 even 145.

In the past six years, in cooperation with the Don Bosco Technical Institute (DBTI) and the local importer and dealer PGA Cars Inc. Porsche has already trained more than 250 young adults as motor vehicle service mechatronic technicians.

They cover the sports car manufacturer's growing demand for qualified specialists, especially in the Porsche centres in the Middle East and Asia Pacific growth markets. “Good English language skills and the good work ethic the people of the Philippines are known for are beneficial here”, explains Michael Drolshagen, Head of After Sales at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, the reason for setting up the PTRCA in Manila. Training there was and remains first and foremost a recruitment programme. “But of course for us it means also practising social responsibility. Because a qualification from the PTRCA not only gives these young adults access to the international labour market, it also gives them a real opportunity to noticeably improve their own living conditions and to strengthen their family environment.”

Jayson Supan's story is an example of this. In 2008 he was one of the first graduates of the PTRCA. In February 2009 he started working as a motor vehicle service mechatronics technician at the Porsche Centre Al Nabooda Automobiles LLC in Dubai. The career of Jayson Supan has continuously advanced to the present day. He is currently making the transition from a system technician to a diagnosis specialist. This means that he is once again expanding his area of responsibility and his salary. Even his present salary is several times higher than the average wage in the Philippines. This puts him in a position to build his own house in the Philippines and to pay for his brother's schooling in his distant home country. In addition, he is helping his parents to set up a small rental company for motorbikes and vans in the Philippines.

The success of the training programme can also be seen in the extremely low fluctuation rate of less than three per cent – in regions where 20 per cent is usual. Robert Coyiuto Jr., businessman and owner of PGA Cars Inc. in Manila: “I am glad that we have – along with Don Bosco – established the success of the program from the initial idea from Porsche AG and us. Having reached our six year mark last December, we are confident of the skills of the graduates and long term potential of the advanced training curriculum. The PTRCA not only provides a highly skilled and proficient labor force for the global Porsche and Volkswagen Group network but also provides the underprivileged yet highly deserving Filipino youth the opportunity to become breadwinners for their families. This also underlines the fact that as a successful company we put a strong priority on our corporate social responsibility. This is my commitment.”

The 250 graduates of the PTRCA to date are distributed over eleven countries. The focus is on the Middle East where skilled technicians are highly required. There the extremely well trained motor vehicle service mechatronics technicians ensure the high service quality expected by customers in the Porsche centres.

Starting this year, PTRCA extends its scope by including Audi and Volkswagen for the Middle East region. Benoit Tiers, Group Managing Director of AVME (Audi Volkswagen Middle East) comments this choice:

“The programme has proven its value and we can build on it quickly and easily. It demonstrates the strengths of our Group by using synergies and know-how across the Volkswagen Group brands. We will be closely involved in the PTRCA 2.0 in the next years as we plan to participate in the development of the curriculum, but also to look at further training for teachers and eventually the equipment. The expansion of the PTRCA programme to include a body technician apprenticeship and from 2017 service advisor training programmes lends additional dynamism. This noticeably further increases the benefits for all Volkswagen Group brands and the dealer network.”

The Order Salesians Don Boscos play a major role in the overall structure of the PTRCA. With its Don Bosco Technical Institute the society has outstanding educational expertise and excellent technical know-how. In addition, the Salesians Don Boscos are the ideal partner for working with underprivileged young people. With their long-standing presence they enjoy a high level of acceptance, especially in the poor districts of the Philippines.

“The Salesians Don Boscos are extremely well geared to our needs. And the fact that they are represented in 132 countries means that we can multiply the training programme at any time, too”, says Dr Stefan Lutz, Director After Sales Market Qualification and Support at Porsche. His team has been responsible for the operational support of PTRCA right from the start. Among other tasks the team is concerned with the training content of the 24-month apprenticeship.

“Young people have a right to education, training and work”, says Christian Osterhaus, Managing Director of the German NGO Don Bosco Mondo. “Vocational training ‘Made in Germany’ is highly regarded around the world. And it is not only young people in emerging and developing countries who benefit – society as a whole and the companies involved benefit just as much. I am very pleased that a premium company like Porsche is also giving underprivileged young people abroad a chance. Together we are able to offer young people from extremely difficult social backgrounds prospects for finding a good job through vocational training and therefore the chance for a life in dignity. Here in Manila we are experiencing exemplary implementation.”

The development of the PTRCA to PTRCA 2.0 with the new cooperation partners Audi Volkswagen Middle East means that in future even more space is needed. So it's good that the Don Bosco Technical Institute is currently building a new 6,000 square metre training centre in Manila. On an area of about 1,500 square metres it will house seminar rooms and training workshops for the PTRCA 2.0 for the brands Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen.

With the appropriate equipment the brands also ensure that the young people are instructed in accordance with state-of-the-art technology. In addition, thanks to future cooperation agreed with the German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, after their final examination they will receive a certificate that can be even better compared with the European qualifications framework.